Nintendo Wii DVD Drive

My Problem

My brother spilled coffee on his wife's 13" MacBook Pro...two years ago! They've just let it sit because they thought it would be too expensive to repair.

My Fix

SUPER easy. The guide was thorough and easy to follow. The only hitch was that after I replaced the logic board, I realized that 1. The battery was swelling, and 2. The DC board was fried as well. Both were shipped expediently, and when I swapped those out, everything booted up great!

My Advice

1. Keep track of your screws. I take post-it notes, number them to the guides, and tape the screws to the post-it notes so that I can keep track of them.

2. Use the right tools. There's nothing that will substitute for the Tri-Point Y1 screwdriver to remove the batter. Believe me, I tried... ;)

My Problem

The battery expanded and pushed up the touch pad like it was a bulging disc in my laptop. It not only looked broken but it also looked painful. My 7-year-old granddaughter said, "Oh my, I'm not sure it will ever work again."

My Fix

The old battery had expanded like a pregnant woman's foot in her shoe. The battery was so thoroughly jammed into the battery space that I had to use a shoe horn to pry it out. First the big side of the shoe horn, then the small side, then finally it gave way with a loud snap. That battery never felt so much relief as when I removed it from the laptop. Now it's relaxing on the chair with it's plug, giving me a thumbs up.

The new battery slid in like Cinderella's foot in her glass slipper—two screws, plug it in, it was a breeze. With the right tools you can do anything!

My Advice

It's important to me to include my granddaughter in all my technical repairs. That way when she grows up, she will not be intimidated to try new things. She's 7 years old and has no fear in taking my laptop apart—which worries me a little. iFixit teaches us to do things we ordinarily would not try, so let's pass on the benefit by teaching others so they too will try.

My Problem

The battery of my 2012 MacBook Air was getting long in the tooth, and wasn't going to last much longer. As my primary travel laptop, I need something I can rely on.

My Fix

The repair went well, with the help of the special iFixit tools, and online instructions detailing what I needed to do, when. The only thing that could be added to the instructions is ensuring that the cable from the battery is fully pushed into the motherboard even if it feels like you're pushing far harder than you need to. Just push harder until the thing clicks.

My Advice

The only thing that could be added to the instructions is ensuring that the cable from the battery is fully pushed into the motherboard even if it feels like you're pushing far harder than you need to. Just push harder until the thing clicks. I was sure I was going to break the thing, but I didn't. First time around, I didn't get it fully seated, and I had to take the whole thing apart again to fully seat the cable.

My Problem

Needed a good tool to remove the battery screws.

The tools that shipped with my amazon battery replacement were not good. They started to strip the screws. After several tries I stopped. However, I remembered that I ordered a memory upgrade kit with a great Mac tool from iFixit several years ago. That was for the outside screws. I use that tool for a lot of things! So I decided to order a triY1 battery screw driver.

My Fix

Excellent. Worked to remove an Apple factory screw (had loctite-they did not want you to remove) first try. My MacBook now has a new battery. Glad I remembered and googled iFixit!

My Advice

Always use a good tool from iFixit!

My Problem

My old GameCube controllers had never been cleaned in the 14 or so years I've owned them. Decided to finally do something about it after seeing a video.

My Fix

It went surprisingly well, heh. I was afraid of frying the circuit boards both times.

My Advice

Definitely come to this site for specifics on how to fix whatever you need.

My Problem

One drop of water from condensation from a glass of lemonade, and no one makes a silicone guard for this?

My Fix

Wow, that was even easier than it looked. The instructions here were clear and correct. They made the job a snap. Every repair/upgrade I've ever tried was right here. I love this site. %#*@ Apple for using those funky 3-slot Phillips screws to hold the battery in, though.

My Advice

Take your time, put the screws in a plastic holder, and don't force anything. Also, I found using the splodger to line up the trackpad from underneath worked great. slip it in one side, slide it along, check clearance on the other side, and... perfect alignment.